› added 1 year ago

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TIL "Methinks the lady doth protest too much" is meant opposite to how it is used. It's not meant to doubt someone denying something, but rather someone proclaiming something. "Protest" (pruh-test) is a different word than (pro-test) that means to profess in favor. This is the origin of "Protestant"

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rRwAo TIL that the plagues of the Middle Ages have made around 10% of Europeans resistant to HIV. These individuals carry a genetic mutation (known as CCR5-Ä32) that prevents the virus from entering the cells of the immune system. The plagues of the Middle Ages played a part in creating these mutations.
LRDV TIL after having his hat shot from his head, bullets tear through his coat, and two horses shot from under him George Washington was able to ride 40 miles through darkness to summon reinforcements while suffering from a severe case of dysentery.
awDKM TIL that helicopters are used in cherry farming to dry cherries after it rains so they don’t soak in too much water and explode
R7r8Q TIL about Frieda Belinfante, a half-Jewish lesbian who lived in Amsterdam during WWII, and disguised herself as a man to avoid being captured and executed by the Nazis. Even though she was wanted for being part of the resistance movement she escaped out of Amsterdam and lived til she was 90.
W7k88 TIL: About the naval term - broom at the masthead. It meant that a vessel had made a clean sweep of enemy vessels. Ships literally hung a broom from the mast of a ship. Commonly used in WW2, it dates back to the 17th century.